BOONE, N.C. – In its first home contest of 2026, the App State Softball team scored five runs in its first at-bat, before using a
Taylor Schafer grand slam to soar ahead by nine runs through two innings. This helped the Mountaineers to a 10-0 victory over Furman in run-rule fashion in a game that took just an hour and 40 minutes to finish.
App State (14-5) came out swinging and took a three-run lead just five batters into the game thanks to a three-run home run by
Emilie Ching. Two batters later,
KB Bradshaw broke the game wide open with a two-run home run, giving the home-opening App State crowd a reason to cheer before most found their seats for the game. App State totaled eight hits in the game, highlighted by Schafer's and
Leah Gore's two-hit games.
In addition to the strong offensive showing,
Camryn Fisher was electric in the circle, going the distance while allowing just one hit. The freshman struck out six hitters and walked two in her five innings of work, which helped her earn her eighth win of the season.
How it Happened
The Mountaineers controlled all aspects of the game on Friday. In the top of the first inning, Fisher came out strong, striking out the first two batters she faced and forcing a fly out to open the day.
Macy Hamby walked in her first at-bat in three weeks, followed by a Schafer single to left field and Ching then ripped her fourth home run of the season to open the scoring fast. It wouldn't slow down after that either, as Gore singled and Bradshaw homered to right field to make it 5-0 after one inning in the High Country.
In the second inning, the Paladins saw runners reach second and third base, but Fisher forced a weak fly ball to left field to escape the jam. The bottom of the second started quickly with a lead-off single from
Julia Girk. This was followed up by a single from
Makayla McClain, and then Hamby reached base to load the bases up. Schafer came up and smoked a 1-1 pitch and deposited it over the wall in right-center field for her 5th homer of the season, making the score 9-0.
Fisher continued her strong outing with a 1-2-3 top of the third inning, including her fourth strikeout of the game. In the bottom of the second, App State pressured again, starting with a four-pitch walk and a stolen base from Girk. The inning continued with a two-out walk from
Grace Barrett, but the Paladins got out of the third unscathed.
A baserunner reached in the top of the fourth for the Paladins, but Fisher shut it down, capping it off with an emphatic strikeout on a full-count pitch. The offense struck again in the bottom of the inning, as Ching walked to get the inning started, and Gore forced a throwing error on a ball to third base that brought home
Emersyn Presutty, who pinch-ran for Ching, home to push App State across the double-digit run threshold for the 4th time this season.
It was a quick top of the 5th inning for Fisher to close the game. The first batter would reach base, but then she would retire the next three hitters in a row to secure the run-rule victory for App State's 14th win of the season.
Friday Notes
Home runs
App: Ching (4), Bradshaw (3), Schafer (5)
FUR: N/A
WP:
Camryn Fisher (8-3): 5 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP: Kristyn Embler (2-7): 2 IP, 8 hits, 9 runs (8 earned runs), 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Up Next
The Mountaineers will continue play at the Mountaineer Classic with a Saturday doubleheader against Furman and Queens at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium. Saturday will kick off at noon, and both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
